[philhart]

Hi All this is how I have adapted my freedom trolley with a hose reel. What do you think?

Thanks Phil

[matt]

very good job

watch it though, andrew will be making it into a add-on and charging 100 quid  (its a joke folks)

[windows_chepstow]

Phil,

There's many 50 litre trolleys on the market which probably weighs the same as your Freedom trolley, but you have the added bonus of having double the amount of water; 50 litres as opposed to 25.

Isn't the Freedom's main selling point is that it negates the use of having to kerfuffle around with yellow hose, since it gives you the 'freedom' to go anywhere?

I use a backpack and it truly does go anywhere; 'total freedom'.  I wouldn't consider adding a hose to it.

[craig jwc]

Why not get a tank for your car/van.
It must be a pain having to come back to the trolley if the water runs out.
Only saying this as you have added a hose reel to it.
I have Andrews Freedom Trolley and run a 250l tank with it from the van and on a few jobs i have to take it out.
I also use a backpack on a couple of really awkward jobs.

Craig

[windows_chepstow]

Why not get a tank for your car/van.
It must be a pain having to come back to the trolley if the water runs out.
Only saying this as you have added a hose reel to it.
I have Andrews Freedom Trolley and run a 250l tank with it from the van and on a few jobs i have to take it out.
I also use a backpack on a couple of really awkward jobs.

Craig

Craig,

If you just take the Freedom Trolley out for a few jobs, wouldn't you have been better off just purchasing a 250 litre tank, a 100 psi pump, a variflow and a back pack?

What advantage does the Freedom give you on top of the above set up?

I'm looking to upgrade my system later in the year to a small van with a 250 litre tank; what advantage would the Freedom give me when I already have a backpack?

[craig jwc]

I got the Freedom trolley to replace my backpack really.
I was taking on more work and the backpack pump is only 40psi and had trouble pumping water to some of the new jobs i had taken on.
I carried on taking more work on which was great, but i found i had to make more trips back to the van or home etc for water.
So i decided to get a tank in the van aswell to solve this.
I probably could have saved myself alot of money doing it a different way, but i am happy with what i have, and with a van tank, freedom trolley and backpack i have a choice of method for every situation.

Craig

[matt]

but any system can be used as a van mount, you only need to divert the filler (incomeing) hose to a tank

[windows_chepstow]

I got the Freedom trolley to replace my backpack really.
I was taking on more work and the backpack pump is only 40psi and had trouble pumping water to some of the new jobs i had taken on.

Craig

Craig,

Apologies for wringing this out; but my backpack has and does pump water out to three-stories; no problem.

The only difference - that I can see - between a Freedom and a backpack is around £500, 32 kilos in weight extra and 7 litres of water extra carrying capacity.  I have used a friends Freedom too.  He says he's lost weight lugging the thing around.  The other guy I know who purchased one, sold it on shortly afterwards.

Oh, and you don't get flat tyres with a backpack on a sack truck.

[craig jwc]

I know what you are saying mate but my backpack wouldn't pump water 30ft and i have a few jobs know that i have to clean.

I only had a backpack to start with and did all my work with it, tops and bottoms.
Think they are a great bit of kit, but for me the pump was too small for some of my jobs.

I turned jobs away that i knew i couldn't do with the backpack. But now i can quote on pretty much anything.

Craig

[ronaldo]

Oh, and you don't get flat tyres with a backpack on a sack truck.

I like that one Tosh 

[Peter Fogwill]

Tosh, did you not notice a big difference in the amount of water the trolley pumped out compared with the backpack?  I find you are wasting a lot of time waiting for the right amount of water to pass through the brush to get a decent finish on the glass.

Peter

[windows_chepstow]

Tosh, did you not notice a big difference in the amount of water the trolley pumped out compared with the backpack?  I find you are wasting a lot of time waiting for the right amount of water to pass through the brush to get a decent finish on the glass.

Peter

Peter,

I didn't notice any difference since the guy using the Freedom used a similar flow-rate to myself; about 2 litres per minute. 

But whether you're using an 18 litre back pack or a 25 litre Freedom trolley, your water conservation is important to you; otherwise you're re-filling the thing up all the time, or having to change water barells.

I can see the point you're making though; a faster flow rate = quicker rinsing therefore quicker window cleaning.

But when you're limited to 18 or 25 or 30 litres per 'go', a slower flow rate is probably more effective for cleaning more windows; so less time wasted when going to collect more water from your vehicle.

My point is the weight to water ratio for a Freedom is negated by the cost to weight ratio when compared with a backpack.

For example; all weights, measures and costs are approximate:

                                  Backpack           Freedom Trolley

Cost                           £140 (E-Bay)     £600 (Trolley only)
Weight dry                 7 kg                   32 kg
Weight full                 25 kg                 57 kg to 62 kg (depending on barrel size)
Water capacity           18 litres            25 to 30 (depending on barrel size)
Manouvreability          Excellent           Good

A long time ago, my boxing weight was light-middle weight and I remember I had to be below 65 kg, so 57kg must be the weight of a bantam weight boxer.

I wouldn't want to drag the weight of a small-bloke around on a sack truck just to clean a window for the sake of and extra seven litres of water and at a cost of £460 extra; plus it doesn't give you the 'freedom' a back pack gives you.

A backpack will fit on your rear seat or in the footwell behind your passenger seat.  A Freedom fits in your boot, but is a pain to get out if you still carry ladders on the roof; cos you can't open your boot fully.  (The advice I've heard given about putting your ladders 'well forward' just doesn't sound safe or sound to me).

The Freedom, like the back pack has it's limitations, but the back pack has fewer!

Am I making any sense here?

I should be on commision from Shurflo!

[D.Salkeld_Ltd]

The Shurflo Backpack has plenty of pressure to go 30ft and plenty of water to rince well on the second setting............and it has 4 settings.

I use my backpack with an Unger style aluminium pole fitted with a flow valve and a "Gaz" brush with fan jets .
I set the pump on the second setting.  Open the flow valve slightly to create a steady "pencil" flow from the jets then wash and brush the window.  Then I fully open the flow valve ( the fan jets kick in) and quickly fully rince the window.  Unles I am doing "Milky" paintwork, then I put the pump on the lowest setting and go steady!!!! Works a treat

David

[brett walker]

Hi Phil

is that the new version freedom trolley ?  whats it like ?

it looks a bit bulky and a bit awkward to pull round with the hose reel on but does it work for you ?

i just have 50ft of ionics black hose with my pole and just wrap it round the handle

regards

Brett.

[Peter Fogwill]

Thanks Tosh, I see what your saying and I agree that 25L is sometimes not enough water to carry on a trolley, although sometimes it can be beneficial to be able to just carry one.

Firstly do you carry it on your back?  I found that to be a nuisance, the weight while working and the hassle getting it on your back when full.  I also found it to be quite dangerous walking about cleaning windows with the extra weight pulling down on your body.  When window cleaning with a backpack on I found my concentration was sometimes elsewhere, with worrying about getting to the next window fast to save water.  And while looking up a lot of the time your not always watching where your feet are going.  With the intended use of a backpack you are looking down at your feet as you are spraying weeds.

When I used the trolley I could turn the water down to the same amount that the backpack delivers, but I always had it on full blast, as I have stated earlier it means less time on the glass.  Granted you are wasting more water on full blast moving from window to window, but if you can cut that waste out with a trigger or something else, then a lower flow rate would have no advantage at all.

I can't comment on the ladder part as I ditched mines long before cleaning windows with a water fed pole.  Remember though you still have to carry the same amount of full containers around as someone using a trolley, and I take it they are in the boot.

Peter

[terryhealy]

can somebody tell me wots the max reach for the freedom trolley , would it reach a standerd top floor town house and if not wots the best thing to do

[windows_chepstow]

Remember though you still have to carry the same amount of full containers around as someone using a trolley, and I take it they are in the boot.

Peter

Peter,

I work from a car and take 118 litres out with me each day.  I put four 25 litre containers in the rear passenger footwells.  That's probably equavillent to two skinny teenagers sat in the back.

I fill the back pack up and put it on the rear seat.

I clean 'tops only'; generally, and Wor Lass follows behind and traditionally cleans the ground floor windows.

We work from 9.15am till 2.00 to 2.30 pm before I drop Wor Lass off home, collect another 25 or 50 litres and head back out and work by myself; till I've had enough.

It really works for us and the car doesn't get overloaded.

I think I went through 200 litres once; but 100 litres does me for a hard days graft.

I can clean four semi's -1st floor only - with one 18 litre fill of the backpack.  So 20 houses equates to 90 litres.

[JM123]

are you guys mental?  We have 2 trailer systems and we can go anywhere with them, 70m hose on each reel, it'll reach anywhere.  Ps 40psi will pump 80ft vertically, 60psi=120ft, 1psi=2ft etc, 14.7psi=1 bar=30ft

[JohnL]

Tosh

I take it your timings and quantities are based on 4th or 5th cleans and the first, 2nd and third cleans would use more water but decreasing until the wfp system gets the 'first clean' grime away.

JohnL

[philhart]

Hi Phil

is that the new version freedom trolley ?  whats it like ?

it looks a bit bulky and a bit awkward to pull round with the hose reel on but does it work for you ?

i just have 50ft of ionics black hose with my pole and just wrap it round the handle

regards

Brett.




Hi Brett

Yes it is the new version but can’t compare as I have only ever used this one. I found that once I added the reel it made me quicker and no more squeezing down the sides of cars and side passages. The reel only takes seconds to put away and then I am of to the next house. It is a bit more heavier but the advantages out way the disadvantages. A van mount system would be great but it is often hard to park outside peoples homes.

Thanks Phil